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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 19, 2006 Charter school proposed Proponents of River’s Edge Academy are meeting today with Prospect school board committee members By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune A group of community members is seeking to open a charter school geared toward homeschooled students in the Prospect School District. Organizers of River’s Edge Academy will meet with a two-member Prospect school board committee today to negotiate a possible contract for the charter. The school would target Jackson County children in kindergarten through 12th grades who now participate in homeschool programs as well as troubled youths who need an alternative to public school. "The board has not approved the charter school but has decided to continue to look at the proposal and negotiate with them," said Wayne Gallagher, Prospect school trustee. Former teacher Cecile Enright said she launched the charter project in response to the county’s drop-out rate and shift toward alternative school settings, such as homeschool. Advertisement "In traditional homeschooling, parents are kind of left out there on their own," Enright said. "Those parents are paying taxes, but the traditional classroom is not working for them." The charter school would fill a gap for those parents, allowing for the academic structure of public school but the flexibility of learning at home, she said. Certified teachers would oversee each student’s curriculum, instruction and assignments. The teachers would visit each student’s home at least once a week and would be available by phone at other times, she said. "When you can spend one-on-one time with a student, it makes such a difference," Enright said. "We have excellent teachers in public school districts, but when you have 35 students in a classroom, you can’t give one-on-one time." Organizers won approval for their charter proposal from the Prospect school board in September. But the board rescinded its approval in December, citing concerns that the proposal would require the school district to hire an additional staff member. "We would have ended up hiring a person to enter student data," said Superintendent Don Alexander. "Another staff member’s time would be devoted to looking at the charter’s activities and making sure they correspond to what a regular school would do." Board members also opposed an online component of the charter program that could potentially violate state law. State law prohibits distance learning in charter schools when 50 percent or more of students live outside the host school district. Organizers said they expect nearly 100 percent of students to come from outside Prospect. The law had not yet taken effect when organizers drafted their first proposal, Enright said. She said they have since removed the online component of the program. They anticipate an enrollment of 300 to 400 based on predictions by a charter-school consultant. "We are going to try to find middle ground with River’s Edge," Gallagher said. "Unfortunately, because we are in negotiations, I can’t give specifics on what we will be talking about." A federal grant administered by the Oregon Department of Education would fund the establishment of the school. The grant would include $25,000 for planning and $25,000 for start-up costs if the district accepts the charter. Enright said River’s Edge would pay for any additional expenses the school district might incur from hosting the charter. The school board is expected to consider whether to approve the charter at its Feb. 13 meeting. For details on River’s Edge Academy, call 821-6035. Reach reporter Paris Achenat 776-4459 or e-mail Charter school proposed ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement